Tankless Water Heaters And On-Demand Hot Water | Atlanta, GA
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Tankless water heaters have become incredibly popular with the sustainable energy and eco-friendly crowds in the past several years, but have recently seen their popularity skyrocket with households everywhere because of the energy savings that having an on-demand hot water supply lends.
These water heaters look like a small suitcase that attaches to a wall, exterior or interior, in your home. This, of course, is much different from the old style water heater, which was a bulky metal tank that was often conspicuous and unattractive, and could also leak into the flooring around it. Another downside to the old style water tanks was the buildup and lime scale that could accumulate inside of the tank over time, leading to a water supply that had visible sediment and particles inside it.
How Do Tankless Water Heaters Work?
The average one works in a simple manner. When a tap or water line opens in your home and is calling for hot water, it sends a signal to the water heater control box. The burners on the water heater sense the incoming water temperature, and relay to the burners what the temperature difference is, which tells the burners how hot they need to be in order to get the water up to the correct temperature. This formula is called the temperature rise.
This method works by measuring the temperature of the groundwater that is being drawn into the home, and requiring a particular temperature be met by the water heater burners. Once the water flows through the burners it is heated to the desired temperature, which is typically somewhere between 110F and 120F. The groundwater temperature varies by the location of your home, for instance, in the North American regions. The North American groundwater temperature regions are Northern, Central, and Southern regions, and are usually quite accurate when it comes to the temperature of your groundwater at home.
How Do You Know What Size Tankless Water Heater To Buy?
The output on these water heaters is measured in GPM, or gallons per minute. It is important to determine what the maximum gallons per minute demand is at peak time in your home. The GPM draw for each device or appliance is listed on the owner’s manual, or is sometimes stamped directly onto the device or appliance itself. You should figure out the draw at the maximum hot water usage point in your household so that you can purchase a tankless water heater with the appropriate output level so that you don’t run out of hot water in the middle of a task.
It’s important to ensure that you buy one of these water heaters with the correct output level, so that you don’t end up in a cold shower or with a dishwasher that only provides hot water during half of the cycle. However, if you buy one that is too large, you’re wasting money paying for that much heating capacity. This is why it is so important to figure out the GPM draw at peak time for your household, and purchase a tankless water heater in Atlanta, GA that is near that draw level, but not less than, so that you’re maximizing your money for your purchase.
How Do Tankless Water Heaters Save Money On Energy?
In old-style water heaters, energy was used frequently to keep an entire tankful of water up to the standard hot water temperature necessary for the home, which is usually somewhere between 110F and 120F. By only providing hot water as it is demanded, the energy draw is substantially less than in the old-style water heater. With a tankless water heater installed in your home, the burners only operate when a tap or line is opened, calling for immediate hot water. Once the demand for hot water is over, the unit stops heating. There is no further energy used by the water heater until the next time that a tap or line is opened, and calls for hot water.
By operating in this fashion instead of constantly keeping a full tank of water up to temperature, one of these water heaters can actually lower your household energy bill by up to 40% in a month. That is nearly half of your energy bill that is being consumed by keeping a constant supply of hot water to your home, while a water heater can perform the same task just as well as the old-style water heater.
No More Bulky Tanks
People are usually genuinely surprised by the size of a tankless water heater. They can range in size from around the diameter of a dinner plate, to somewhere around the size of a small suitcase, typical sizes for residential use. A typical hot water heater could use up to 16 square feet of your homes’ interior space, and is difficult to conceal. They often take up a large space in laundry rooms, kitchens, and basements, simply because it isn’t practical to place any structures close to them, and you must be able to access the water heater in case there is an emergency situation.
Instead of wasting an entire corner of a room, or staring at a large, noisy water tank in your laundry room, these water heaters can be inconspicuously mounted on just about any interior or exterior wall of your home with minimal labor. In fact, they can be installed in just about an hour by a reputable plumbing company in Atlanta, GA. A tankless water heater can even be installed to feed a particular appliance or water line in your home to help with peak hot water demand, like to keep showers hot while your family takes their evening showers. These water heaters can be the answer to your homes bathing and laundry needs. For any questions or plumbing needs reach out to our team at Peach Plumbing + Drain today!